Costs for the today's medical technology and practices have risen far faster than people's ordinary income. Accordingly, people are taking advantage of medical services at out-patient care facilities. Moreover, and when possible, many people are also starting to take advantage of in-home test kits to reduce theft medical costs.
Advantageously, medical technology has advanced wherein multiple human maladies and/or diseases are readily detectable from tests conducted of a blood specimen. Glucose and cholesterol levels may also be beneficially obtained from a blood sample. Because of today's medical advances, a small, substantially insignificant mount of blood i.e., a blood droplet, is usually adequate for today's blood testing techniques.
A professional at either a hospital or out-patient clinic will usually collect a blood specimen for analysis. The blood specimen is typically collected by puncturing a human digit, such as a finger or toe of the person being tested with a lancet or other suitable medical instrument to create a blood droplet or specimen. Home test kits are usually provided with a disposable lancet to create a puncture or prick in the person taking the test. Thus, collecting a blood specimen in connection with a home test kit is effected in generally the same manner as in a hospital or out-patient facility, except that either the person taking the test or another person uses the lancet or other medical instrument to create a blood droplet or specimen.
Besides the inherent problems of a person puncturing their own finger or having a non-professional attempt to collect a blood specimen, there are some instances where collecting a suitable blood specimen is complicated by other factors. Some people simply tend not to bleed. That is, some people have blood that tends to immediately coagulate, thus, making the collection of blood more difficult. Another common problem or complication in the blood collection process concerns the amount of blood collected. Understandably, people are reluctant to inflict pain onto themselves. Accordingly, the person taking the test at home may incorrectly use the lancet and, thus, will not obtain an adequate blood sample. Rather than reusing the lancet, people tend to smear the blood sample to make it appear adequate. Understandably, this problem is further complicated by those persons' whose blood clots quickly.
Unless an adequate blood specimen is obtained, the testing results may be affected. In the instance where the blood test was collected at a hospital or out-patient facility, either a second blood sample will be taken, or, if the person has left the facility, that person will have to return for another blood test. In home test kits, the failure to obtain an adequate blood specimen also can affect the results. If The test specimen is inadequate, the person may be required to purchase another kit to obtain another blood sample. In either event, costs to the person seeking the test results are increased. Moreover, valuable time is lost in the interim period, while exacerbating the frustration of the person seeking the test results.
Thus, there is a need and a desire for a method for enhancing the ability to obtain a suitable .blood specimen, whether taken at a hospital, out-patient facility, or in association with a home test kit.